Dear Member Society Leaders:
On behalf of the IUTOX Executive Committee and the Toxicology Recognition Task Force (TRTF), I am providing you information about a very exciting initiative we have been jointly working on since the Barcelona Congress.
IUTOX survey results compiled in 2009 and 2011 have clearly showed interest among our members for services and support to develop a recognition process, which could benefit their member toxicologists on a national and regional level. In response to this consistent feedback, IUTOX formed the Toxicology Recognition Task Force (TRTF) early in 2011.
2011 Survey
In January 2011, Elaine Faustman, IUTOX Secretary-General, developed a survey to determine the level of interest in toxicology recognition issues among IUTOX Member Societies. The survey was sent to two
groups: 1.) IUTOX Member Society points of contact (typically the President and Secretary-General) and 2.) two individuals designated by each Member Society to participate in the survey. IUTOX received responses from every region where Member Societies exist; many with detailed comments. Analysis of the survey results showed the
following:
Ø Nearly unanimous interest for a global directory from individuals and Member Societies Ø About 50% of Member Societies indicated they are already involved in some type of certification effort at the national level Ø Certification definitions vary greatly from one group to another.
In some cases, the Member Society provides registration; in other cases, the societies are just starting to consider efforts in this area.
Ø Some Member Societies offer their members continuing education courses and networking opportunities, but do not independently undertake an organized way to recognize the toxicologists working in their country or region.
With a clear mandate from our Members Societies, the IUTOX Executive Committee named Dr. Lewis Smith as Chair of the TRTF. Through a series of face-to-face meetings and conference calls, the TRTF developed a two-part plan to initiate a recognition process for toxicologists around the world. From the start, IUTOX has recognized the great challenge of this initiative due to the number of organizations that already have well-established registration and
certification programs in place. IUTOX has no intention of replacing
these programs and sees tremendous value in working together with the leadership of the American Board of Toxicology (ABT), the Academy of Toxicological Sciences (ATS), the European Registry of Toxicology (ERT), the German Society of Toxicology (GST), and the Japanese Society of Toxicology (JSOT) to collaborate on a successful approach to recognize toxicologists working around the world.
IUTOX leadership believes that finding a way to recognize toxicologists on an international basis will help develop the toxicology profession as a whole, and has developed a two-part process to achieve that goal. Part one of the two step process is to record the names of toxicologists around the world who currently participate in a national or regional toxicology society. Part two is a longer-term goal and is envisioned to "harmonize" or "mutually recognize" the existing certification and registration processes already available around the world.
Part One - Global Toxicology Directory
Development of a Global Toxicology Directory will provide individual toxicologists the ability to network with other scientists for the purposes of sharing research, solving local problems and learning about job opportunities. The first two TRTF meetings convened by IUTOX have focused on various aspects of the Global Directory. The group has addressed several considerations, including how to collect and administer the data, who will have access to it and how will it be funded.
Agreement has been reached on the following elements:
§ Only IUTOX Member Societies may nominate or approve individuals for inclusion in the directory § Entry requirements will be minimal: individuals must work as a toxicologist or in a related field and maintain an active membership in an IUTOX Member Society § Information required for the Directory will be minimal and include individual's name, e-mail and specialty. Maintaining minimal information will be easier and cheaper to manage and less susceptible to problems associated with a breach of privacy.
§ Where no IUTOX Member Society exists, scientists may be "adopted"
by a neighboring country or region and presented for inclusion in the directory.
§ IUTOX will leave it to Member Societies to decide whether or not to require their individual members to "opt in" for a listing in the Global Directory or the less affirmative "opt out" approach.
Part Two - Toxicology Recognition Plan
In parallel to developing the Directory, the IUTOX TRTF Committee will also address solutions for harmonizing certifications and registries that already exist in countries or regions for senior scientists.
This is a longer term objective due to the level of coordination that will be required among groups in Europe, Japan and the United States.
After extensive research on the ease and cost of various solutions for maintaining a Global Directory, the IUTOX EC and the TRTF approved a pilot project using an on-line resource, ResearchGate, as the tool to form and maintain the Directory. ResearchGate is a free social networking site already in use by over 1 million scientists. Please refer to the attached document, which addresses the factors we considered when selecting ResearchGate for this trial period.
On Tuesday, November 29 at 9:00 am (EST), IUTOX is hosting a demo of ResearchGate to provide an overview of the site. At the conclusion of the demo, we will ask for volunteers to participate in a pilot program to help us determine if ResearchGate is the correct tool for housing the Global Toxicology Directory. Through the polling feature available on ResearchGate, we will gather data and feedback to share with our Member Societies and at the next TRTF meeting during the SOT Annual Meeting in March 2012 (San Francisco).
Please see below for a link to the ResearchGate Web site and a short description of how the site got its start. Please feel free to create your own profile in advance of the 29th to familiarize yourself with the site.
http://www.researchgate.net/aboutus.AboutUs.html
ResearchGate was built for scientists, by scientists, with the idea that science can do more when it's driven by collaboration.
ResearchGate began when two researchers discovered first-hand that working with a friend or colleague based on the other side of the world was no easy task. The rapid evolution of technology has opened the door to change; by providing you with the right tools, we strive to facilitate scientific collaboration on a global scale.
Very shortly, we will be sending out a link for the demo. In the meantime, please plan to join us for the demo on November 29 and the beginning of a very exciting initiative for IUTOX and all of our Member Societies.
Please RSVP to iutoxhq@iutox.org to let us know if you plan to participate on the 29th.
Best regards,
Daniel Acosta, Jr.
President
